1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a user interface system with an innovative man-machine interface realized by the usage of segments for input, edit and display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a keyboard is used to input figures and letters into a computer system, when data are input, displayed and edited.
For example, when personal data are to be stored in a personal master, normally a system displays a input field for each data on the screen at first. Then, corresponding figures and letters are input in each field. Attributes such as ID No., name, age, sex, address, telephone No., group, etc. are displayed on a screen and each corresponding data for each person must be input in the field one by one.
When the personal data are to be updated, data have to be retrieved to be displayed on the screen at first. Then, the data have to be replaced with new figures and letters also by keyboard operation. Naturally, when the data are displayed and printed, the figures and letters which are previously input come out.
As has been described, a keyboard is commonly used for data entry in computer.
A keyboard is also used to input figures and letters into a computer system in order to enter data for schedule control, work plan and resources allotment.
In many occasions, such data often relate to time. Some data occur chronologically and some others have deadlines. Input of date and time may not be omitted when the computer system is used for production process control and work control. Especially, in production process control in manufacturing, period and/or date of deadline for each process must be always input.
However, when a keyboard is used to enter either date or time, four to six digits figures have to be input to specify the data. When the keyboard is used to enter both date and time, even eight to ten digits figures have to input to specify the data.
Also known is a window system which works under an operating system to display windows on a screen. This window system provides a desk top environment for an operator.
The window system has the following advantages:
can display plural windows which show different information on a screen at the same time; PA1 allows switching of windows to select an active window for optimum handling, and PA1 provides a "cut-and-paste" function to copy or move data among windows. PA1 (1) Operation with a keyboard is inevitable to input figures and letters; PA1 (2) Input of figures and letters easily result in errors and the system must provide enough check systems to detect such errors, and PA1 (3) When the above input data are displayed, the figures and letters are displayed as they are. Therefore, it is a requirement for the users to read and recognize the displayed figures and letters in order to comprehend the meaning of the data. PA1 (1) Scrolling of a window is necessary to show a desired data, as only a limited area of the data may be displayed, since the window displays only part of the data, the data outside the display range of the window can never be seen at the same time; PA1 (2) Even though display of multiple windows and exchange of data among windows is possible, handling of the data is complex, since the data is created in duplicate in each window, and PA1 (3) Even though displays of multiple windows is possible, they can never show the data with different units or aspects. PA1 input means for designating positions on the display screen with the input unit; PA1 a segment editor for displaying a segment, having two ends, on the display screen at the designated positions; and PA1 database entry means for entering data into the database corresponding to the displayed segment, for selecting the segment with the input unit and for entering additional information with the input unit for the selected segment. PA1 scale means for displaying a scale for scheduling of the resource, and PA1 the input means assigns a section to the resource, PA1 the segment editor displays the segment as the scheduled section of the resource, and PA1 the database entry means stores the scheduled section of the resource. PA1 selecting means for selecting the displayed segment with the input unit; PA1 window means for displaying a data entry window which has an entry field for entering additional information; and PA1 entry means for entering the additional information into the entry field. PA1 detect means for detecting the direction of the movement of the segment, and PA1 scroll means for scrolling the information along the moving direction. PA1 (a) display means for providing a plurality of areas on the display screen and displaying a segment in each of the provided areas; and PA1 (b) exchange means for exchanging the segment displayed in one area with the segment displayed in another area. PA1 the display screen includes means for displaying information provided by the input unit. PA1 (a) window display means for displaying a window on the display screen; PA1 (b) divide means for dividing the window horizontally into a plurality of side-by-side windows; and PA1 (c) vertical display means for dividing and displaying information in each of the side-by-side windows. PA1 (a) window display means for displaying a window on the display screen; PA1 (b) divide means for dividing the window into a plurality of up-and-down windows; and PA1 (c) horizontal display means for dividing and displaying the information in each of the up-and-down windows. PA1 (a) first display means for providing a first window for displaying information with a first scale and for also displaying information which is not subject to the scale; and PA1 (b) second display means for providing a second window to display the information in the first window with a second scale which is different from the first scale, and for displaying the information not subject to the scale at a same size as in the first window. PA1 (a) first display means for providing a first window to display information with a first time scale; and PA1 (b) second display means for providing a second window to display information with a second time scale which is different from the first time scale, and the information displayed by the fist display means is displayed in the second window with the second time scale. PA1 scroll means for synchronously scrolling the information displayed in the first and second windows. PA1 editing means for editing the information displayed in the window; and, PA1 synchronized update means for synchronously updating the information displayed in the windows. PA1 a segment editor for displaying a segment in one of the windows and for duplicating the segment from one window to another window. PA1 (a) display means for providing a number of display fields on the display screen wherein each field is capable of displaying a limited number of charactrers; PA1 (b) inter-field scroll means for scrolling a plurality of characters between the number of fields such that the plurality of characters are displayed by the number of fields. PA1 (a) memory means for storing identification data and corresponding image data of a plurality of resources; PA1 (b) listing means for displaying a list of the identification data; PA1 (c) media means for selecting the identification data from the list and for outputting the image data corresponding to the selected identification data; PA1 (d) select means for selecting a resource from the plurality of resources. PA1 (a) memory means for storing identification data and corresponding voice data of a plurality of resources; PA1 (b) listing means for displaying a list of the identification data; PA1 (c) voice means for selecting the identification data from the list and for outputting the voice data corresponding to the selected identification data; PA1 (d) select means for selecting a resource from the plurality of resources. PA1 (a) displaying a resource and a time scale on a display screen; PA1 (b) profiding information for indicating a period assigned to the resource, by selecting start and ends points the time scale; PA1 (c) storing the resource and the information as an assigned schedule; and PA1 (d) supplementing the schedule with additional information to complete the scheduling of the resource. PA1 (a) ID input means for inputting an identifier of an operator; PA1 (b) learning means for learning a hierarchial path chosen by an opoerator corresponding to the identifier; and PA1 (c) process change means, upon providing the identifier to the system, for placing the display in the learned hierarchial path. PA1 (a) display means for displaying a cursor position of the input unit on the display screen; PA1 (b) menu means for displaying a pop-up menu at the cursor position; and PA1 (c) select means for selecting an item in the pop-up menu.
When data is copied among windows, duplicate data of the original data in the original window are created and saved in other windows.
For example, when a word processing application program and a spread sheet program are operated in two different windows on a screen, specific field data in the spread sheet are able to be designated and copied to an arbitrary area in a document prepared by a word processor program. This copy operation is to duplicate and insert the designated data in the spread sheet to the work processing document. So, data are held in duplicate in the spread sheet and the word processor documents and both data are independently saved. Therefore, when data in a window is updated, the data in another window is not updated simultaneously.
Another advantage of the window system is an ability to scroll and divide the windows to display the data flexibly.
When data are too large, the size of the windows generated on the screen can be often too small to display all the data. That is because the windows can display only a part of the data. In such a case, scrolling of the window is necessary to show a desired data in the window.
To avoid scrolling, an window can be divided either horizontally and vertically. For example, when two sets of data are located too far apart vertically to compare, a window may be divided in up-and-down to display the first set of data in the upper area of the window and the second set of data in the lower area. By doing so, both sets of data can be monitored in the same window. In the same way, when the data are located too far apart horizontally, a window may be divided in a side-by-side manner to display both data at the same time.
As has been described, conventionally a keyboard is used for the input of figures and letters for data entry to a computer. However, it has the following disadvantages:
Especially, when the data have a range such as length, size, period, etc., an actual range must be recognized by comprehending the displayed figures. In this way, usage of figures and letters for input and display of the data with range and period has been causing inconvenience.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, "a schedule planning support method or device" which is shown in published unexamined patent gazette Hei 4-159064 is proposed for example. The "schedule planning support method or device" supports drawing of a schedule planning chart by displaying a schedule chart on a display screen.
As shown in FIG. 37, a schedule chart is displayed on a display screen. A beginning point 402 and an ending point 403 are assigned, and a segment 404 which connects the beginning point 402 and the ending point 403 is displayed to support scheduling of a displayed item. The segment is used to make a schedule, the schedule may be obtained visually. Hence, an advantage is that setting and updating of a plan may be done easily.
However, in this method, only scheduling of the item is conducted and additional required information is unable to be input while scheduling the item. For instance, when required resources such as equipments and staff, etc. must be allocated for the execution of a plan based on a work plan, the equipments and staff which are necessary for the execution of the plan must be input and stored as additional information for the work plan. The described method to input a segment in order to make a schedule of the item is too simple to control the schedule for the complex work plan.
As described earlier, the window system according to the prior art has the following disadvantages:
In general, data should be able to be utilized in more than one perspective. In some case, data are needed to be prepared with different time scales. For example, both daily and monthly schedules are required to be monitored. Same data are needed to be monitored in different perspectives such as days and months. In other cases, both assigned equipments and persons for the schedule should be monitored by using the same original data. However, conventional art has been unable to offer such information in different units or aspects effectively.